stupid little things || luke hemmings

Chapter 23

Luke's POV:

The funeral was nice, for a funeral that is. We buried Ty in the plot beside her sisters grave and planted a tree between them. Jo said that she liked trees. The two of us were the last ones left at the site, and we each put a hand against the cool wood of the casket.

"Bye Tyler. I love you," I heard Jo whisper. I pulled her against my side, kissing her temple because I couldn't find words to say.

Now were laying in a spot in her backyard, a very specific one that Jordan picked. She's curled up against me, staring up at the night sky. We'd avoided the empty building- Mum had moved all of Jo's things out before we got back. We walked around to the back without entering it. 

"My dad's gonna take the house," Jordan's voice breaks the comfortable silence. I look down at her with a frown.

"You can just live with me. I'm planning on buying my own place once tour ends. I was gonna ask you to join anyways," I shrug. It still amazes me how casual things are with Jo; I never have it think about what I'm doing or what I say. I just do everything I feel like doing and somehow that's good enough for her.

"We need to get back to tour," she mumbles, toying with my shirt under her fingers.

"We aren't going back until you're ready to go back," I say firmly, looking up at the stars.

"Luke, I know you love me and you're worried but you can't just pretend you don't have other responsibilities. You're in a band and you have fans waiting for you who paid money for tickets and I'm not gonna take that experience from them," she protests, and I feel her eyes on my face so I look down to meet her.

"You're sure you're ready to come back?" 

"Well I'm sure as hell not staying here without you and you sure as hell aren't staying here on my watch, so yeah, I'm ready to go back." I lean down, kissing her forehead, warmth rushing through every inch of my body. "Plus I miss Justin and Emma and the rest of the boys."

"I miss them too. They wanted to come for the funeral but I told them not to." In all honesty, I had wanted my brothers beside me but I knew that if they came press would get a hold of the story and that was the last thing we need. I hear Jo chuckle to herself and I cock an eyebrow as she looks up at me.

"What's so funny?" 

"I remembered I laughed at Justin for crying over The Fault In Our Stars, at the part when she makes the pain analogy you know, about the ranks of pain. I never liked that part, but it makes sense now. She was saving her ten. I guess I've used mine now."

I feel the tears prickle at the back of my eyes as she toys with the ring on my pinky.

"I love you Jordan. You know that right?" 

"I know. I love you too."

"Are you happy?" I regret the question as soon as it leaves my lips and I mentally facepalm. Of course she isn't fucking happy she just lost her best friend. 

"Not at the moment, no. But I will be again someday. Ty was a big part of me, and she always will be but it's not like I'm just going to stop living. She wouldn't want that," she trails off.

"You're right, she wouldn't."

"She's the reason were out here you know. We got drunk and came out to watch the stars and we both ended up naked. I think I called you that night actually."

."You did."

"She told me to come here when I miss her." 

I don't know how to respond, so I don't. I just hold her and rub her back softly until we both fall asleep under the stars.

-

The flight back to catch up with the tour wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We listened to music and she fell asleep thirty minutes in. 

The boys greeted us at the airport, Michael initiating the biggest group hug we've had in a while. After a few interviews and dodging fan questions about where I'd been, we managed to make it back to the hotel. Much to my appreciation, Justin and Emma had come to stay with Jo while I was gone. 

She smiled when I came back into the room and she looked like herself again. Then came the 4 pizza's Calum ordered and three hours of Netflix with all 7 of us piled together in the room, cracking jokes and lots of "oh fuck you''s coming from all of us. 

Around 2 am the jetlag had finally hit me and Jo was snuggled up against me in her signature sleepy position so I booted everyone out of our room. 

Now, were laying in bed and my fingers are absentmindly running through her hair. I have an urge to never let her get up from the bed and to just hold her like this forever so nothing else can ever hurt her but I know I can't.

Not that she would let me anyways.

I press my lips to her hair, then her forehead and her cheek and her temple and her lips just because I can.

"Jordan, can I tell you a secret?"

She shifts so her chin is flat on my chest and shes looking at me when she nods.

"I made Tyler a promise, a few nights before we left for tour. I promised that I would make you happy. At the time, I didn't know why she made me promise but now I do. And I want you to know that I intend to keep that promise as best I can. Because I care about you just as much as you cared about her. You're my Tyler. And I'm not gonna lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere Luke. I love you too much to leave."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

-----

holy shit. its actually over

epilouge is coming soon omg what just happened.